The Knight and the Hunter
by The Zero Dragon
Summary: Axel, Erza's younger brother, fell out of their boat as they escaped Jellal and the Tower of Heaven as children. Erza thought he was dead. They reunite, but Axel isn't the kind-hearted little boy he once was... Post-Tower of Heaven AU
1. The Hood

**The Knight and the Hunter**

* * *

Summary:Axel, Erza's younger brother, fell out of their boat as they escaped Jellal and the Tower of Heaven as children. Erza thought he was dead. They reunite, but Axel isn't the kind-hearted little boy he once was...

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**The Hood**

* * *

The mighty Titania Erza of Fairy Tail found herself in a humiliating situation. She had been trapped. By her quarry.

Shortly after Erza returned with the rest of Team Natsu to the new and improved Fairy Tail guild hall, an emergency S-class request arrived from the Magic Council. One of their high-ranking officials had been murdered by a mage wearing a hood and using a bow, and they demanded his capture. The Council suspected the man acquired dangerous information from the official's office after the murder, as the room had been thoroughly ransacked and several items appeared to be missing. Reportedly, these items and documents were dangerous in the wrong hands. At least, dangerous enough to get the Council to dub it an emergency.

Despite her fatigue, Erza immediately set out on the job. First, she traveled to speak with a few officials from the council, in order to gain any information deemed too risky to be released on the job flyer. This proved worthless; the only details concerning the suspect were that he wore a hood and used a bow, as stated. On top of that, the officials were either tight-lipped or ignorant of the nature of the missing items. It took every ounce of Erza's self control to stop herself from hitting the useless men.

So, Erza resorted to asking the town's people about men wearing hoods and carrying a bow. But after asking what had to have been half the town, it appeared that the felon vanished into thin air after committing the crime. Making no progress there, Erza expanded her search area into the nearby towns. As she traveled farther from larger towns toward the forests, she began to finally hear of hooded men with bows.

But every lead she followed turned out to be a simple hunter or thief, both of which she handled accordingly. Still, Erza was not one to quit. More leads came her way, and Erza dutifully followed them. Of course, she planned to return to Fairy Tail for Fantasia in the next few days, but after that she would return to her work. Erza would never miss Fantasia if she could help it.

Her prey, known as the "Hood" to the Council, heard tell that one "Titania" was pursuing him with the intent to capture him for his alleged murder. The Hood was intelligent and skilled. And he would not be followed.

Erza was searching the forest based on tell of a hooded bowman wandering within. She never found the man that her informant told her of. But her real prey found her. Thus, she was tied up above the forest floor, struggling to catch sight of the man's face. There were several hastily mounted bows surrounding her as she swung gently in the air.

"Erza?" the hooded man breathed. "You are alive?"

"I'm not so easy to kill," Erza ground out. "It looks like your bow traps failed." Erza, of course, was fully capable of escaping the embarrassing predicament she was in. But information was always easier to gather when the enemy thought you were beaten. Villains, after all, like to gloat.

"No, they still work," the man assured her. His face was still hidden, but his previously steady voice quivered as he said, "You _are_ alive." The man brought his hand to his head and turned away, shaking his head slightly.

That is when Erza made her move, taking advantage of his distraction. She cut the ropes with a sword and jumped to her feet. "Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!" she shouted. An instant later, Erza was surrounded by dozens of razor sharp swords.

"Easy there," the hooded man said, taking slow steps back, though mostly to try and calm the woman.

"Are you the one they call 'Hood?'" Erza demanded, pointing her swords at him.

"Is that what they call me?" the man whispered to himself. Erza still heard him.

"Surrender now, or I will take you back to the council forcefully. In pieces, if needed," Erza growled.

"You have no idea," the man muttered. Erza thought this was meant as an insult. "I can't go to the council for acting on justice's behalf. I killed one of their people, Erza. They will not slap my wrist and let me go. Not for that."

"Then you leave me no choice," Erza said grimly, with her face darkening slightly. She shot toward him with great speed, several swords following her.

"WAIT!" Hood cried, moving his arm up toward his head and shoulders. When Erza did not check up, he jumped far above her head. Light flashed brightly, forcing Erza to cover her eyes. When she recovered, she saw the man had vanished into the trees, and an innumerable amount of arrows were piercing through her swords as they flew through the air.

Not missing a beat, Erza summoned more blades and sent them toward what she guessed was the Hood's hiding place. However, one by one, her swords were hit by more arrows, knocking them off course and occasionally damaging them severely.

The man stepped out from the foliage in a dark, mottled green outfit he was not wearing before. As he moved, the clothing shimmered, changing its appearance to blend with its background. Resting in his right hand and drawn by his left, an impressively carved longbow stood ready to send at least six more glowing arrows loose at the slightest twitch from Erza.

"I don't want to fight you, Erza," he said. "Let's talk."

"Criminals plead their case to the Council, not to me," was Erza's reply. "I have nothing to say to you." The hooded man frowned, despite his joy at having found Erza alive. _She is far more... confident, I suppose, than I remember her, _the man thought.

Hood opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced when the limb he stood upon was cut from underneath him. He kicked the scarily serrated sword responsible as he fell, and launched himself off the tree trunk. The half-dozen arrows he prepared shot forward from his bow, forcing Erza to dodge to the side.

Ten swords came out of nowhere and flew toward Hood. Erza was sure she had him, as he just fired his arrows.

She was wrong.

Hood leapt from the forest floor _toward _the swords, and jumped off several of the swords as they shot toward him. Twisting his bow with a flourish, he smashed six of the ten blades into the earth below. The other four dropped to the ground after glowing briefly.

A blue magic circle appeared, and his bow vanished, replaced by another bow sporting fangs in several places on its limbs. "Excellent use of telekinesis," Hood commented. "But I'm afraid I won't be taken in so easily. Or at all, for that matter."

"Enough talk," Erza yelled, requipping her armor into Black Wing Armor. The man growled in frustration, though Erza took it differently, and launched herself again.

"Will you listen for a moment instead of being a dog of the Council?" the man yelled after shooting an arrow that exploded and blasted Erza back. "What has the Council ever done for you to justify being so loyal?" Erza seemed to pause at that.

"The Council has given me and my guild nothing but trouble," Erza answered, gripping her blade tightly. "But I still do not condone murder."

"Fair enough," the man replied, reaching for his hood. "But the killing was justified. I understand you will not listen to the one you call 'Hood.'" He pushed the hood from his face, revealing dark blue hair down to the shoulder. "But will you listen to me?" Erza dropped her sword as the tears she thought she suppressed years ago returned.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "This is a trick."

"I promise it isn't," the man said.

"You're dead," Erza said as she struggled to stand. The younger man said.

"Afraid not, sis," the man said, stepping toward Erza nervously.

"Axel," Erza breathed, reaching a shaking hand toward the criminal. "My baby brother. You got...tall." Axel smiled a bit, still uncertain about what he should do.

"I always hated it when you called me that," Axel said, trying to hide tears of his own. Erza sobbed, and Axel closed the rest of the distance between them on an impulse and hugged his sister.

"You're alive," Erza cried. "I woke up, and you weren't in the boat anymore."

"Yea," Axel said with a small grin. "I fell during the night and a pod of dolphins carried me to shore."

"You're full of crap," Erza laughed.

"Was then, still am now," Axel quipped before sighing as Erza let out more tears against his chest. "Eight years is a long time."

"It is," Erza agreed. "Tell me what happened."

"Huh?" Axel asked. "Like, everything? Or with the official, or what?" Erza's eyes narrowed when she was reminded about that.

"From the beginning," Erza prompted, determined to get reasons for his crime later.

"Um," Axel said, before a wry grin twisted his face. "Well I'm pretty sure it began when our parents decided they wanted another, much cooler kid."

Erza hit him. Hard. "Smart ass."

"Only for you, dear sister," Axel chuckled as he got up from the ground, rubbing his jaw. "Well, remember after we had to run from Jellal, we got in the boat. I don't remember why, but I woke up during the night and fell out of the boat. I tried to swim after it and wake you up, but you were dead tired. Don't apologize," Axel warned. "It isn't your fault.

"Anyway, I wandered around after I landed on shore and eventually met this guy in the forest named Damien. He was once a member of some dark guild name Grimoire Heart, but he had been excommunicated by their Master Hades. He taught me how to use the magic I discovered back at the tower. Damien also taught me to use my bows. You remember I was a decent shot back before Jellal went nuts? I'm better now. We earned our money by taking on some jobs to hunt various monsters. Of course, making money as a mage apart from a guild is tough, so I learned other stuff too, but that doesn't matter."

Erza expected more, but Axel stayed quiet.

"So a dark mage was your master?" Erza finally asked. Axel shrugged.

"Former dark mage," he corrected, "but yea."

"Explain the official. Quickly," Erza ordered, expecting her brother to have taken a job to murder the man.

Axel sighed. "He was extorting money from several groups of magic researchers, and had enough connections to the Balam Alliance to keep the dark guilds off his back. So I killed him."

That answer did not satisfy Erza, and she crossed her arms with a scowl on her face. "Who paid you?"

"Nobody," Axel answered with a sigh. "I got a tip from one of the research heads, and I promised I would handle him. I rifled through his office to recover the documents he was using to blackmail the people, as well as several magic spells and items. That is when he walked in. He tried to kill me to protect his secret. I don't like people trying to kill me."

"So you killed him," Erza said.

"Yep," Axel responded. "Still gonna try and take me in?"

"Are you going to kill anymore people?" came Erza's reply.

"Not planning on it," Axel said. Erza sighed. Axel stepped backwards towards the shadows, anticipating a negative reaction.

"Don't go," Erza pleaded quietly. "The Council is flat on their backs right now. It's amazing they even got the job request out."

"What do you mean the Council is down?" Axel asked. Erza scowled again.

"Jellal used the Council to fire Etherion so he could activate the tower," she explained. Axel's eyes got wide.

"He actually finished the damn thing?" he asked with brow disappearing beneath his hair.

"Yea, but we stopped him from using it. Well, Natsu pretty much defeated him on his own," Erza said.

"The Salamander?" Axel asked. Erza nodded, then made a double take.

"Wait, you've heard of Natsu, but not me?" she questioned. Axel rubbed the back of his head with a cheeky grin.

"Yea, well I've gone behind him before and helped clean up. People talk about the guy who destroyed half their town. All of it, in some cases. And I have heard of Titania of Fairy Tail. I just didn't know that _you_ were Titania," Axel said.

"Fair enough," Erza granted.

"So where were you going with the Council being down?"Axel asked, getting them back on topic.

"Well, their description of the criminal is vague. I've been tracking you for weeks, and you ended up finding me," Erza said. "I would suggest getting rid of the hood." Erza smiled wryly. "Besides, technically, I should have turned Wally, Milliana and Sho in for their crimes. I didn't. None of us did."

"They're alive too," Axel said. "Wait, what about Simon?" Erza's face told him everything he needed to know. "Oh."

"You wouldn't believe how different everyone is," Erza said after a moment. "And Simon was so tall. What I can't believe is that you are at least as tall as him."

"What? Did you think you would be taller than me forever?" Axel asked with a smirk.

"One could hope," Erza said.

"How did he die?" Axel asked quietly. He was very close to Simon, more so than anyone else.

"He saved me from a killing blow Jellal sent toward me," Erza breathed. Axel rubbed his face. He was instantly reminded of Uncle Rob.

"How am I going to tell Kagura?" Axel asked himself.

"Kagura?" Erza asked. Axel nodded.

"Simon's sister. I don't see her often, but I know how to contact her. She is searching for him, hoping that he escaped like we did," Axel said. Then he laughed. "She tried to get me to take her to the tower. Even if I knew where it was, I would never have gone back. I knew that Simon probably would have hated me if I had let her go. I still don't know how I convinced her to not go there herself."

Erza's tears had finally dried, and she now sported a smile, despite the heavy conversation. Her brother had survived. Axel sighed as he walked around a bit.

"So what now?" Axel eventually asked.

"You should probably see your master, then come visit Fairy Tail in Magnolia Town. I'm sure you could join if you want," Erza suggested.

"Damien is dead. Master Hades decided to send someone after him. Fortunately, Damien managed to warn me before I got involved. I'll just come with you," Axel said.

"Lose the hood," Erza said.

"But I like the hood," Axel whined. Erza glared, and Axel decided to keep his hoods off for a while.

"How old are you anyway?" Erza asked. "You hardly whined at all when you were younger.

"I'm hurt that you don't know," Axel said, holding his hand to his heart dramatically.

Erza rolled her eyes, and smiled a bit. "Seventeen now, right?" Axel nodded.

"Eighteen months younger than my big sis," he said. "Well, lead on."

* * *

Axel stood in front of the guild hall next to his sister and just looked at the immense building. "It's big," he said.

"Yes, it is," Erza replied. "Let's go in."

"Wait a minute," Axel said. "I wanna look at it some more."

Erza ignored him and, rolling her eyes, dragged him into the guild. "I have to explain what happened to Master Makarov, and you will be coming."

"What? You'll tell him?" Axel asked incredulously.

"I'll tell him what the Council will hear," Erza said. "He will know the truth, especially after meeting you. The master is wise." Axel could tell Erza respected this man greatly. He looked all around him, taking in his surroundings and evaluating escape routes and hiding spots. His instincts demanded he be prepared for anything. He did notice everyone seemed upbeat.

"Why is everyone excited?" Axel whispered. Erza had no idea why he was talking so quietly, but answered anyway.

"The Magnolia Harvest Festival starts tomorrow. Fairy Tail always puts on a beauty pageant and our famous Fantasia parade," she said. "It's a big deal for us. People from all over come to see it. Why are you whispering?"

"I'm not comfortable around people," Axel said, still quietly. Erza looked back at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Since when?"

Axel gave her a slightly dirty look. "Since I fell out of a boat and spent nearly eight years around a man with questionable sanity and his pet bird, away from any other people."

Erza tried to respond, but Axel gestured for her to not bother.

He smiled at his sister, and followed her as she walked up to a short old man sitting on the bar. Several people greeted her, and openly asked each other who he was. "So you're back for the festival," the old man said.

"Yes, Master Makarov," Erza said. "I deemed the mission impossible. There was not enough information to pursue the Hood, and nobody would be able to find him based on the description given. I followed dozens of leads, to no end."

Makarov stared at Erza for a moment, knowing she was saying something without saying it. The old man turned his gaze on Axel then, and his eyes seemed to pierce through the hunter.

"I suppose finding a hooded man with a bow could be rather difficult with that vague a description," Makarov said. "You've already sent a report to the Council?"

"Yes, and they were not pleased," Erza said. "Still, I doubt any other mage would take the job now that the dust has settled."

Makarov hummed. "Yes, several research groups claim he had been extorting money from them based on blackmail he never possessed," Makarov chuckled. "Quite the egg on their face, especially at a time like this. Now, who is this young man?"

Erza smiled as she pushed Axel forward to introduce himself. Clearing his throat, Axel said with a slight bow, "I am Axel Jaeger, the Hunter."

Makarov cocked an eyebrow. "Well, good for you, I suppose. Erza?"

"That is what he calls his requip magic," Erza explained, glaring at her brother for his suddenly tight lips. "Axel is my brother. He and I escaped the Tower of Heaven together, but he fell from the boat and I thought he was dead."

Nodding his head slowly, Makarov seemed to reach a conclusion about Axel, just as Erza prophesied he would. Makarov figured out that Axel was the Hood, and trusted Erza's decision on the matter. "Well, it is good to meet you, boy," the guild master said. "I am Makarov Dreyar, and this is Fairy Tail." Makarov swept an arm across the room.

Erza looked at Axel expectantly, but he refused to say anything. Erza sighed again, then said, "He wants to join the guild, and, apparently, act as if he is mute."

"I'm not a talker," Axel said.

"Certainly talked my ear off on the trip," Erza grumbled. Makarov had never seen Erza act so relaxed and casual, but he was glad for it.

"Quiet or not, you are welcome here, Axel. We would be happy to welcome Erza's blood to the Fairy Tail family," Makarov said with a smile. Axel noted that the murmuring behind him had gotten louder as they passed his identity around the room to those who could not hear for themselves.

His sister then dragged him, though not literally anymore, the few feet toward the white-haired woman everyone called Mira. "Where is the stamp?" Erza demanded.

Mirajane giggled a bit, and produced it seemingly out of thin air. "Here you go," she said as he handed to Erza. "I didn't think you would let me stamp your brother. You do know how to use it?" Erza turned a piercing, scary glare on Mira, but the mage only shook her head and gestured for Erza to get on with it.

"What is this?" Axel finally asked.

"This is to put the guild stamp on you," Erza said. "Where?"

"Huh?" Axel asked. "Oh, um, here." He pointed over his back to his right shoulder blade. Quickly taking his shirt and hooded jacket off at his sister's order, Axel winced when he felt several people's eyes upon him. Scars were a source of pride to Axel, to be sure. But, some of his old wounds were fairly grievous and attention-grabbing. He did _not_ want attention.

He felt the magic tool stamp the Fairy Tail emblem on his back, and quickly pulled his shirt back on, tightening several of the laces at the neck again.

"The stamp is red," Erza mumbled to him. Axel saw the unspoken question in her eyes, and her remorse at failing to protect him.

"Thanks," Axel said, having to stop himself from pulled his hood on reflex. "Too many stories can be found in the skin. In a few words, some prey is capable of hunting you. Every hunter can become the hunted," he explained quietly to his sister. Erza knew some of those scars came from his time in the tower, but those wounds she thought so nasty when she was young were mere distractions to some of the scars her brother sported.

"I-" Erza began before realizing she had nothing to say.

"Yea," Axel said, smiling sadly at her.

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**AN: **Well, there is a chapter for you guys. I hit a wall with the fourth chapter of my other story, The Crimson Wolf (- shameless plant), and I got an idea I wanted to shoot out. Now that I got this off my chest, I will, hopefully, be able to get The Crimson Wolf's next chapter up.

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions? Do you have a question? Is there something you want to see in this story? Leave a review, or PM me, whichever is easier for you, and I will be happy to have a conversation about it! Until next time!


	2. The Archer's Fury

**The Knight and the Hunter**

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**Summary: **Axel, Erza's younger brother, fell out of their boat as they escaped Jellal and the Tower of Heaven as children. Erza thought he was dead. They reunite, but Axel isn't the kind-hearted little boy he once was...

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**The Archer's Fury**

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The next day while hanging around his sister, Axel met Lucy, Erza's celestial mage teammate. Honestly, Axel was stunned by the young woman, both her beauty and personality. Lucy was in a rush to prepare for the Miss Fairy Tail contest, so she didn't stay to talk for long. "Well, good luck to both of you," Axel said before Lucy walked off with a wave and a brilliant smile. Axel couldn't help but stare.

"She is both single, and your age," Erza said with a smirk and a knowing look. Axel quickly turned to glare at his sister.

"So?" Axel asked. Erza rolled her eyes at her little brother.

"Maybe you should vote for Lucy to win," Erza teased as she walked away. Axel sputtered as he tried to retort, causing Erza to laugh. The younger of the two siblings glared holes in the back of his sister's head before finding a seat to enjoy the show. He heard someone moving around, and noticed that the guild master decided to sit nearby.

Fifteen minutes or so later, a light brown haired man took the stage with a microphone in hand. "People of Magnolia Town! And people from nearby towns! And those who came from the underworld, don't forget to return to your graves when the show is over, okay?" Axel admittedly chuckled at that bad joke. "It's time for what you've all been waiting for! The beauties of Fairy Tail will perform on this stage for your votes! Let the contest begin!" The crowd erupted in cheers. "I am your announcer and host, Max Alrose, the Sand Magician!

"Allow me to introduce our first contestant, Miss Cana Alberona!" Max yelled as a slim and beautiful brunette took the stage. Cana struck several poses before using her magic cards to change her outfit into a sexy swimsuit, eliciting cheers for her talent and beauty.

"Our second contestant and newest female member, the lovely Juvia Lockser!" Max announced the blue-haired woman walking out with a bright smile and a wave to the crowd. Juvia wasted no time, and quickly made use of her magic to turn her body into water. When she released her magic, Juvia was in a bikini. Several rowdy fans wolf whistled, though not without reason. The water mage was, indeed, beautiful in face and figure.

"And here comes our third contestant! Men are said to get drunk on her beauty alone, Mirajane Strauss!" The crowd went wild after Max announced Mirajane. _Apparently, she is a big deal, and some kind of favorite for this contest._

"Hello!" Mira said to the crowd. "I am very skilled in transformation magic! So, I would like to show you my—" Mira's face changed into a blue cat's face "Happy face!" The crowd cried out in shock. Only one person, or rather cat seemed happy with this. "And here is Gajeel!" Mira's face transformed again, this time into an angry looking man's face, likely another member of the guild. Sure enough, when Axel looked he saw said Gajeel spitting out his drink in shock, and the hunter chuckled.

By now, the crowd had lost a bit of its excitement after the disappointing showing by the apparent favorite. Max stepped back out again. "Now for our fourth contestant! The strongest woman in Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet!" he announced. Axel felt a tremendous surge of pride as the crowd cheered for his sister. Erza leapt with a flip to center stage and said something to herself before requipping into a dark outfit that accentuated her bust and long legs. Cheers erupted all across the huge room, and Axel felt that same pride in his sister again.  
"Fifth contestant, Levy Mcgarden!" A petite girl with blue hair jumped out and showed off her Solid Script Magic. Axel would admit she was cute, but in a young girl kind of way. "How old is she anyway?" Axel asked.

"Hmm? Levy? She is seventeen," Makarov answered. Axel's brows shot up his forehead.

"She looks younger than that," Axel commented.

"And our sixth contestant, Bisca Mulan!" A green-haired girl in a more conservative bikini walked out with a smile on her face. Bisca then flashed four coins in between her fingers. Axel was extremely impressed when she tossed all four into the air and shot through each one with a single bullet from her requipped rifle. As of yet, Bisca's was the only performance that actually showed any amount of skill, as compared to the other mages, his sister included, only deigning to show off their magic.

"Now for our seventh contestant, another rookie member! Give it up for Lucy H–" Max was cut off.

"No! Don't say my last name!" Lucy cried. Axel, along with most of the crowd, wondered why not. "U... I'm going to do a cheer dance with my Spirits!" Lucy said with cheering poms in her hands.

"Contestant number eight!" someone else announced, cutting off Lucy's spot. Axel's brows narrowed as an admittedly beautiful woman walked on stage.

"What the hell is this? Lucy hasn't done her thing yet," Axel grumbled. He cast a glance at Makarov, but the guild master looked... odd. The look on his face was a mixture between shock and, well, Axel could only guess fear. Who was this woman.

"If you talk about fairy, then it's me," the woman said, ignoring Lucy's feeble complaints entirely. "If you talk about beauty, then it's me. That's right, it's all _me_." Axel felt anger rising at this woman. He had little tolerance for arrogance, not even mentioning how she was stomping all over Lucy's act. "The winner is none other than me, Evergreen! Well, this contest is over!" The archer's fingers were itching for one of the many bows hidden in his pocket dimension.

"Hey! Quit playing around! My rent is riding on this!" Lucy yelled at Evergreen.

"Lucy! Don't look in her eyes!" the man Erza identified as Gray the day before shouted.

It was too late. "What's with this kid?" Evergreen asked while lifting her glasses from her eyes. Lucy's eyes instinctively met Evergreen's and she instantly turned to stone.

Axel then reacted to the enemy while everyone else stood in shock, requipping his most simple bow. Drawing three arrows, Axel aimed for the kill, and released. Whether Evergreen moved intentionally or on accident, no one knew. But it saved her life. The arrow meant for her neck barely scratched her. The one for her heart hit her shoulder. The one for the femoral artery stuck in her thigh. The woman fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Axel spied two men rushing for her. He thought they were trying to stop her as well.

"Damn it all," Axel cursed. "I should have used a different bow. It wouldn't have mattered then." Makarov jumped in front of Axel as he called for a stronger weapon.

"Hold your fire, Axel," Makarov ordered. "She is a member of Fairy Tail as well." Axel gritted his teeth and kept his bow in his hand and the quiver on his back.

"Fine, old man," he ground out. "No promises for later if her explanation sucks."

"This is terrible!" Max cried. "Everyone, get out of here!" The stunned audience quickly followed Max's advice and ran for the hills.

"What the hell are you doing, Evergreen?" Makarov demanded after turning back to the injured woman. The men who rushed to Evergreen's side turned and glared at Axel.

"Wait, Freed and Bixlow too?" Gray questioned with a tinge of fear in his voice. The taller one wearing the mask stood and blasted the curtain lining the back of the stage.

"What good is a festival without a main event?" the man sneered. Axel realized these two were associated with Evergreen.

Before anyone could say anything in response, lightning began to spark above the stage before crashing down with the characteristic roar of thunder. When the light cleared, a tall, heavily muscled blond man stood where it struck.

"Laxus," Makarov growled quietly.

"Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe?" someone asked.

"What is this?" Laxus demanded Freed and Bixlow when he saw Evergreen was injured. The blond man seemed enraged, to say the least.

"That one," the green-haired man said, pointing at Axel, "shot her the moment she turned the girl on stage into a statue." Lightning sparked around Laxus, and Axel sensed danger coming and prepared to move.

"Congratulations on making the first strike," Laxus spat out. "I would kill you now, but I would much rather see just how strong you are."

"That won't be your problem if you strike now, fool," Axel retorted as he raised his bow and strung several arrows.

"I like this one," Laxus chuckled, though he was still angry.

"What is this Laxus?" Makarov demanded.

"Let's play a game, Gramps," Laxus said with an almost playful smirk.

"That is enough, boy!" Makarov yelled. "Restore them now!"

"I wonder how many of these girls will survive Fantasia?" Laxus mused. Lightning charged above Lucy, and Axel drew and released the arrows. The lightning that would have hit Lucy shot toward Axel, turning the arrows to ash as the hit. Axel leapt out of the way before the electricity struck him. "Oh, you are a fiery one, aren't you?" Laxus laughed mockingly.

Bixlow and Freed had patched Evergreen's wounds and helped her stand up. Laxus cast a glance at the group several of the Fairy Tail mages dubbed his bodyguards. "These women will be my bargaining chips. Call it collateral, if you will." Laxus paused for effect. "If you break the rules, I'll destroy them one by one."

"There are some things that can't be taken as a joke, Laxus," Makarov warned.

"Of course, I'm being serious," Laxus replied.

"This is just a game to find out who–" Freed began as he watched Evergreen out of the corner of his eye.

"Is the strongest mage in Fairy Tail," Bixlow finished, sticking his tongue out. _Freak._

"The last one standing is the victor," Laxus announced with a sick grin on his face. "The Battle of Fairy Tail!"

Axel's eyes narrowed, and he prepared to shoot more arrows, this time with magic backing them. But before he could even draw arrows from his quiver or whisper a spell, a fireball sent a table flying into the air. The pinkette, Erza said his name was Natsu, leapt to his feet. "Someone's feeling better," Makarov mumbled.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu yelled. "This is great! Let's get started!" The mage leapt toward the stage, fire covering his clenched fists before anyone could say anything else. Several feet before Natsu even entered striking range, Laxus zapped him with intense lightning.

"I saw that one coming," Axel mumbled.

"That's the attitude I want to see, Natsu," Laxus commented to the fried, possibly dead Dragon Slayer. Axel released a breath in relief when he heard the young man groan. "But your lack of skill still irritates me."

Evergreen limped forward, seeming to have recovered somewhat from the shock of her injuries. "If you want them to return to normal, you'll have to defeat us," she said.

"There are only four of us, and almost one hundred of you," Bixlow said with his tongue out every chance he got. "It's not fair for us."

"Not fair! Not fair!" his dolls chorused. Axel really wanted to decorate those things with arrows.

"You have three hours," Evergreen said. "If you don't defeat all of us before then, these girls will crumble into sand."

Cries of outrage and disbelief rang through the guild, and Axel heard Makarov growl out, "Laxus!" quietly.

"Our battlefield will be the entirety of Magnolia Town," Laxus said. "The fight begins when you find us."

"STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS AT ONCE!" Makarov raged, using his Titan Magic to grow incredibly large.

"Calm down, Gramps," Laxus said. "That is for the festival. Let's have fun," he said menacingly. Lightning collected around Laxus and his Tribe, growing so bright as to blind everyone. But Axel had shot while blind before, and took aim at Laxus from memory. "Let the Battle of Fairy Tail begin!" Axel let the arrows fly before he had the chance to reinforce them with his magic, and they burnt up just before they hit anyone. "Oh, I do like that one."

By the time Axel had more arrows prepared, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe were gone. The guild stood in shock for several seconds before they rushed out the door, intent on finding Laxus and saving their beloved nakama. Axel cursed as he stared at Erza and the others. "I should have shot her again anyway." He also noted a man wearing a poncho muttering to himself as he stared at Bisca before he ran off after his guild mates.

The only ones remaining were him, Makarov, and Gray, who was following "Poncho Man" out the door. "I"ll stop you!" Makarov screamed as he ran toward the door. The moment he reached the threshold, the guild master was stopped dead in his tracks by an invisible barrier. Axel quickly made his way over to him. He saw Gray trying to pull the old man through the magic wall.

"There's no use," Axel said. "It looks like a barrier made through rune magic."

"He's right," Makarov said. "The rule there says 'Those over eighty years of age or any statue shall not pass.'"

"And there is nothing you can do to break that, Gramps?" Gray asked.

The old man shook his head. "No, I don't know how to re-write the runes. Only Freed would know how to do that. If Levy weren't a statue, she might be able to figure it out. She's good with these things."

"If it's come down to this, then leave it to me," Gray said as he ran off.

"Gray!" Makarov yelled.

"I won't forgive him, even if he's your grandson," Gray yelled back. "I'll kill him."* Axel smirked at Gray's reaction. _My thoughts exactly._

Makarov sighed as Gray turned the corner. The guild master started speaking with a fat man, so Axel leapt onto the stage to inspect the statues closely to see if there was anything he could do there.

A ear-splitting scream drew Axel's attention to Natsu, who just woke up, and was demanding to know where Laxus, and everybody else was. _What is that guy made of?_

"Natsu!" Makarov yelled, "The festival has started! Laxus is in the town! Search and destroy!" Apparently the old man thought Natsu was his best hope. _Natsu must be something special. He's a bit loud, though._

"ALRIGHT! I'M COMING FOR YOU, LAXUS!" Natsu yelled excitedly. "JUST YOU WAIT!" _Very loud. _

Natsu then ran face first into the barrier that stopped Makarov from leaving the guild. "Alright, there is seriously no way that guy is over eighty years old," Axel commented.

"The hell is this?" Natsu asked, banging his head against the invisible wall.

Before anyone could explain, more runes appeared in the doorway. **Alzack VS. Jet VS. Droy**. "More importantly, what the hell is that?" Axel asked.

"Why are they fighting each other?" Natsu asked.

"This Freed guy probably put conditional barriers around the town," Axel grumbled once he figured it out. "These things are flexible and very dangerous. I've seen them used before. That was a bad day."

"Who is this guy, Gramps?" Natsu asked.

"I'm Erza's younger brother, Axel Jaeger."

"Erza has a brother?" Natsu asked.

"Obviously," Axel groaned. The runes flashed. **Winner: Alzack.**

The three men stared at the board as several more fights were announced. Makarov sighed when Natsu started trying to get out there to "join the fun."

"Master Makarov," Axel said. "Is it true that all four have to be defeated in order to save the girls?"

"It's certainly possible," Makarov said, stroking his chin. "Evergreen cast the magic, though. She will be able to release it."

"Tell me everything important about these four and their magic," Axel said. "I'm more effective when I know what I'm up against."

Makarov sighed deeply. "The group is fairly isolated, so I may not know any tricks they keep to themselves. Freed, the green-haired one, uses magic involving letters and runes. He has some other similar magic that he uses in combat along with his sword, but he relies heavily on his rune traps. Bixlow uses Seith Magic and plants souls into those dolls. Destroying the dolls does no good. He just moves the souls into new vessels. Evergreen uses her Stone Eyes heavily, but when that fails she has her Fairy Magic to control exploding 'fairy dust.'" Here Makarov sighed. "Laxus has his powerful lightning magic. I've never seen him use it seriously, other than frying Natsu."

"Hey!" said Dragon Slayer whined.

Makarov then pulled Axel down so he could whisper, shooing Natsu away. "I don't know how strong you are, but I can promise you that fighting Laxus will be nothing close to killing some Counsel official. He is unlike anything you've ever seen," he nearly breathed out.

Standing back up, Axel responded, "I've seen more than you know, old man. And I'm no slouch. But, a smart hunter knows when it is foolish to attack the bear."

"Bear hunters set traps," Makarov said with his eyes narrowed. Axel smirked.

"That's right. Or they use the right tool," he said as he requipped a long, white and gold pike with lightning carvings and aggressive spines. "This is the Blitz Pike. I killed a lightning elemental easily with it. Three years ago. If your grandson can manage to harm me while I have this, then I'll be scared."

Axel turned to leave, sending the spear back into his pocket dimension. "Axel," Makarov called out. The hunter stopped and looked over his shoulder at the old man. "Don't kill any of them."

"Why not?"

"They are your nakama. And I feel you believe in an eye for an eye. Blood for blood," Makarov said. "They haven't killed anyone."

"Yet," Axel said.

"Yet," Makarov agreed. "Don't get more blood on your hands for this."

"Master Makarov," Axel said. "The blood gets on my arrowheads."

"I mean it figuratively," Makarov grumbled.

"I know," Axel said. "A few more drops of blood won't kill me." _Not much soul left to kill. I doubt Erza would accept me if she knew. _"Anyway, I'll avoid lethal shots, out of respect for you. Still mercy is not my strongest trait. I believe in giving my prey a quick death. That is a hunter's mercy." Natsu seemed to think on that.

"You and I will talk when this is over," Makarov said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I can't guarantee disclosure," Axel warned as he began to walk away again.

"I don't expect full disclosure," Makarov replied. "But we still have to speak."

"Fine," Axel replied before pulling his hood up and taking off into town.

"Who is that guy?" Natsu asked again.

Makarov shook his head. "I doubt even Erza knows."

* * *

The hooded hunter crept on top of a roof, taking every step cautiously. After his last encounter with a Rune Crafter, Damien taught him to identify the traps, but Axel remained careful. So far, it appeared that Freed had neglected to erect many runes on the rooftops. However, Axel did spot several traps, and warned the mages headed into them.

Casting his tracking spell again, as he had periodically to ensure he was still heading toward Evergreen, Axel muttered, "I'm getting close." A crash followed by a savage roar of pain sounded in the area ahead of him, so Axel rushed forward over the last roof.

"Requip: Scout Armor, Apollon Recurve," Axel whispered. Light flashed, and he held a large golden recurve bow with a similar quiver. He now wore boiled leather armor with no sleeves and a hood. Bracers guarded his forearms and wide leather bands decorated his biceps.

Axel watched as a large beast tried to get up and fight Evergreen again. He had no clue which mage the beast was, but he was definitely impressed by this form. Still, it was no match for Evergreen. When the mage was turned to stone, Axel growled and strung three arrows. "Arrow Magic: Explosive Tip."

As Axel drew back the glowing arrows, he remembered his promise to Makarov, and adjusted his aim so Evergreen would survive the blast.

He let the arrows fly.

They rocketed down and exploded on the ground surrounding Evergreen, sending her flying and screaming into a wall. Evergreen started to retaliate, but stopped dead when she spied the hooded man and his drawn, glowing arrow. She knew before he said anything that a wrong move might very well be her last.

"I'm surprised you are able to stand after the injuries I gave you in the guild, much less be able to fight someone as monstrous as that one," Axel commented with a smirk. Evergreen began to shake a bit more, though from fear or injury, even she did not know. "It would be in your best interest to surrender now."

Evergreen tightened her lip and stood up straighter. She was a member of the Thunder God Tribe, and she refused to shame her teammates or Laxus by surrendering. "I refuse to surrender. You won't beat me," Evergreen shouted. "Fairy Ray!" Several magic bolts, seemingly made of golden dust, shot toward Axel at breakneck speed.

Axel quickly jumped from the roof with a unnerving smile on his face, completely dodging the blow. "Good," he said. "I was afraid you would come quietly when you deserve punishment for your betrayal. Arrow Magic: Smoke Screen!" Axel yelled as he shot an arrow into the ground beneath him, covering the entire area in thick, dark smoke.

"What is this?!" Evergreen demanded, sending magic blasts at every shadow she saw. A sudden, brutal kick connected with her stomach, forcing her to clutch her gut on reflex. Two follow-up punches targeted her earlier arrow wounds, causing Evergreen to scream in pain again. Showing no signs of coming mercy, Axel snatched Evergreen up by her hair and threw her toward the wall once more. As she flew, Axel strung six more arrows and fired them all at once, pinning Evergreen to the wall by her now torn clothes. Evergreen sobbed in pain with tears in her eyes.

"Release my sister and the others from the spell," Axel demanded. Evergreen is too busy sobbing to respond, if she even heard the dangerous man. So Axel snatched another arrow onto his bowstring and drew it back, dragging the sharp edge lightly across Evergreen's tear marred face.

Evergreen opened her eyes again, and eyed the arrow nervously, before opening her mouth slowly. The look of fear in her eyes lessened slightly as she steeled herself. Axel did not like that at all. "If you even think of saying something that means your spell isn't being released, you had better keep your mouth shut," Axel warned the woman.

Evergreen tried to capture Axel's gaze in her Stone Eyes, but she could only see the outline of his body in the heavy smoke screen. "Not fast enough," Axel growled, firing the arrow into her thigh. Evergreen's scream of pain echoed across the town, frightening several of the townsfolk and mages. Even Makarov heard it, and somehow knew Axel had Evergreen in his clutches.

"Okay!" Evergreen bawled. "They're free. Just stop! Stop! Please!"

The heavy smoke cleared in an instant, and Axel rushed up to Evergreen's face, glaring at her through the thin edge of his hood. "Know that the only reason you get to enjoy your pain is because Master Makarov made me swear to let you live," he growled. "Be grateful I have shown you his idea of mercy. My mercy means a quick death. The old man's means you live."

The violent archer turned and stomped back toward the guild hall. "Are you really going to leave me here?!" Evergreen sobbed.

Axel kept walking.

* * *

When he returned to the guild to see if Evergreen truly released her spell, Axel was pleased to see Erza standing next to Makarov. But he was less pleased when he saw her crossed arms. "Is Evergreen still alive?" Erza asked bluntly, noting the specks of blood on his light armor.

"Unfortunately, for both her and me, yes she is," Axel said with a sigh. His sister closed her eyes and unfolded her arms, instead placing her hands on her hips. _Slight improvement. _

"What did you do?" she asked, looking at the ceiling high above their heads.

"I got results," Axel replied with a frown, "and the bitch is still breathing." He then sighed. "I'm not that scared boy from the Tower anymore, and I'll never be him again. For better or worse, I'm strong, both in arm and will."

"We will discuss this later," Erza said through gritted teeth. _Well, that pissed her off, somehow. Or was it something I didn't say? _"We have bigger problems now." Axel nodded his head.

"How many of the mages have been knocked out already?" he asked. The old man sighed.

"Nearly half," Makarov grumbled, trying to contain his anger.

Axel nodded his head, but before anyone could say anything else, the board flashed and the number of Fairy Tail mages participating went up again, by one.

"Who joined the game?" Axel asked, half seriously.

"This is good," Makarov said, "it's most likely Mystogan, Laxus' S-class counterpart. Erza noticed Axel frown slightly when he heard that name, apparently recognizing it.

"It won't matter if Mystogan is here or not," Axel said. "I'm finding Laxus first." He turned to Erza. "Are you coming with me?"

"Of course," Erza said with a nod. "This farce must be put to an end. We should start by interrogating Evergreen. She likely knows where Laxus is."

"I should have thought to ask her before I came here to check on you," Axel said, a dark look glinting in his eyes. "She won't lie to me."

"Is she really that afraid of you now?" Erza asked, casting a sidelong glance at her once gentle younger brother.

"I introduced her to three of my arrows," Axel explained, "with a few kicks and explosions thrown in for good measure." Makarov mumbled something, but neither Erza nor Axel caught what he said.

Soon the runes flashed and swirled together into hundreds of images of a skull and crossbones all around the room. Laxus' angered voice echoed throughout the building. "You hear me, old man? Everyone else in the guild? Good," he said with a chuckle. "Seeing as how we lost one of our rules, I've decided to instate a new one. In order to keep this Battle of Fairy Tail moving, I've activated the Thunder Palace."

Makarov instantly echoed Laxus in complete shock, "The Thunder Palace?!" The name seemed vaguely familiar to Axel, as though he heard it in a dream. He knew though, that this was bad.

"And seeing as how quickly you've made progress, the time limit will be cut down on the game. You now have sixty minutes until I activate the Thunder Palace and the game is over. Unless, of course, you decide to retire, 'Master,'" Laxus said before erupting in laughter as the skulls vanished.

"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THINKING, LAXUS?! ARE YOU TRYING TO DRAG INNOCENT PEOPLE INTO THIS?!" Makarov screamed at the top of his lungs, his face crimson in his rage. Before his words stopped echoing off the walls, Makarov's angered face morphed into one of pain as he clutched his chest and grunted before falling to the ground.

"What's going on?"

"Master?!"

"Old man!"

"This is bad! He needs his medicine!"

"At a time like this..."

"Come on Master! Don't do this!"

Axel could not make out who said what, mostly because he was trying not to break his bow in his tightening iron grip. "What is the Thunder Palace?!" Natsu yelled at the unresponsive Makarov. "OLD MAN!" Axel stepped over and punched Natsu, gaining the Dragon Slayer's attention.

"This is terrible!" Mira cried, grabbing everyone's attention. "Everyone! Look outside!"

Everyone immediately rushed up to the roof to see what frightened Mirajane so much. Axel felt sense of dread when he saw the lacrima hanging in the sky surrounding the town, filled to the brim with lightning magic. The girls were discussing the lacrima hanging in the sky, while Erza stood next to Axel and muttered, "This is very, very bad."

The dark man with the long hair and the steel in his face hung around Axel's other side, a sneer on his face as he glared at the sky. "Looks like a bomb to me," he said. Erza glanced at him.

"For all practical purposes, Gajeel, it is a bomb. A lightning bomb," she said.

Axel was about to add something, but he heard Bisca requip and turned to see her aiming a sniper rifle at one of the lacrima. "Stop! Don't shoot!" Axel yelled, running toward Bisca. But it was too late. Bisca stood up with a satisfied smirk at her success.

"What's wrong?" Bisca asked, voicing the majority of the crowd's thoughts.

Axel kept moving, a grim scowl on his face as everyone heard the crackle of electricity. A flash of light signaled his Requip, and the Blitz Pike appeared in his hands. Axel started a breakneck pace, not checking up in the slightest, and jabbed his spear above Bisca's head, nearly scratching her. Everyone yelled at Axel in shock, including Erza, but it turned to stunned silence the instant the electricity struck the Blitz Pike. The lightning crackled down the length of the spear before being absorbed.

"That's what's wrong," Axel said, breathing out slowly in relief.

"Organic Link Magic," Cana whispered. Axel nodded, and Erza looked impressed with her brother.

"Yea," Axel said, "the son of a bitch is smart. You," he said, pointing at Bisca, "need to be more careful with what you target. That would have fried you." Bisca quickly nodded, slightly shaken.

"How did you know?" Lucy asked, her hands on her hips and her head tilted slightly.

"Instinct," Axel said with a shrug. "I've learned to trust my gut the instant it tells me something." Lucy's eyes widened very slightly before her brow crinkled.

"I like this guy," Gajeel grumbled.

"I was gonna say that!" Natsu yelled.

"Who cares?" Gajeel growled. Several of the girls rolled their eyes, but Axel cut anything off at the pass.

"We don't have time for a fight," he said. "These lacrima, or Laxus, have to be taken down before the town can be destroyed."

"Don't worry about it," Natsu said. "Laxus is just bluffing."

"He has the power to pull this off," Axel said. "This isn't a bluff. He petrified his nakama, and is now threatening who knows how many bystanders, just so he can take Makarov's position."

"You don't know Laxus," Natsu replied, a slightly different look in his eyes, though Axel couldn't mark it.

"And you do?" Axel asked. "Would the Laxus you know threaten innocents for his own gain? Cause harm to his Nakama?"

Natsu did not reply, but the fierce look in his eyes did not falter.

"I'm going to make Laxus pay," Axel vowed, noting Erza's eyes narrow. "But sixty minutes isn't much time. Let's get going."

"I'll get you two out of here," Levy said, speaking to the Dragon Slayers, "so you can join the fight."

* * *

Axel, Erza, and Mira walked toward the place where Axel took Evergreen out earlier, Mira coming along when Axel mentioned Evergreen fighting a big beast with white hair, knowing it was Elfman.

"Am I going to like what I see?" Erza asked Axel. Axel glances at her.

"That is a stupid question," he said. "Of course you won't like it." Erza ground her teeth, but decided to let it sit.

When they arrived, Erza eyed the barely awake Elfman while Mira rushed toward him. Elfman spotted Evergreen where she was pinned to the nearby wall, and then his sister and Erza. "What happened?" he asked hoarsely.

"My brother did that," Erza said as she walked toward Evergreen. As she got closer, the brutality of the injuries and the battered and bruised skin became more evident. Blood trailed from the reopened arrow wounds and seeped around the new one in her leg. Erza also noted several nasty burns from the explosive arrows and the numerous deep purple bruises. Evergreen's dress was nearly shredded, barely covering her up anymore, and what skin was visible was riddled with scratches and scars from the rock shrapnel.

Mira helped Elfman to his feet and they hobbled toward Evergreen, Erza, and Axel. Erza glanced back at her brother, not quite able to grasp that he was able to do this. "Oh," Mira gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth before looking away from the woman.

Erza shook Evergreen slightly in an attempt to wake her gently. The battered woman stirred slightly, but remained unresponsive. Axel quickly released an arrow that penetrated the wall right next to Evergreen's ear, cutting it slightly. Mira gasped again, and averted her eyes again while Elfman stared on in disbelief before growing slightly irritated.

"That's not manly," he mumbled. Axel ignored him.

Evergreen coughed, choking on something, likely blood. When she saw Axel's fierce, fiery gaze, she shied away as far as the arrows pinning her clothes to the wall would allow and doggedly insured she did not match his eyesight again.

Carefully, Erza pulled the arrows from the wall, freeing the crying Evergreen. Mirajane was studying Axel, wondering just who he was. He seemed nice enough back at the guild. But he was capable of something like this, and appeared entirely apathetic about it.

"I guess you're the sister he mentioned," Evergreen managed between sobs.

"Yes, Axel is my brother," Erza said firmly, despite her shame at his brutality.

Laughing bitterly, Evergreen said, "Everyone thinks you are the scary one. They're all wrong."

Erza stayed quiet for a moment as she looked over Evergreen's wounds, patching some of them up. "Evergreen, where is Laxus?" Erza asked softly as she tended to her.

For the briefest moment, Evergreen considered defending Laxus and tricking Erza. But then she spied Axel's grip on his bow tighten, signaling the consequence of that action. Swallowing nervously, Evergreen told Erza, "He is in the church. Cardia Cathedral."

"Thank you," Erza said, glancing at her brother again. "This will be over soon."

"We'll get her to the guild," Mirajane said quietly. Elfman, to Axel's surprise, stopped leaning on his sister, and, though he struggled to stand by himself, bent over to carry Evergreen.

The giant man seemed to notice Axel's reaction, and said, "Sometimes it takes a real man to do the right thing." Something about that struck a chord in Axel, and he had no idea why. Mirajane beamed at her brother and patted his shoulder.

When the Strauss siblings started back toward the guild, Erza and Axel made their way toward the church. Axel stayed quiet for a long time before he asked, "How do you people do it?"

"Hmm?" Erza asked, focused on stopping Laxus' madness.

"Forgive her like that," Axel explained. "So easily."

"Forgiveness is important," Erza said without breaking stride. "Refusing to forgive someone does more to hurt yourself than it does to hurt the person who wronged you. If you don't forgive, you can't move past the hard things. They just hold you back."

"There are some things that can't be forgiven," Axel replied. Erza shook her head.

"There are some things you _think_ you can't forgive," she said.

"How can someone forgive things like what Evergreen or Jellal did, and say everything was okay?" Axel demanded hotly.

"Forgiving somebody doesn't mean that what they did was okay, in any way," Erza replied. "Forgiveness says, 'I won't hold that against you anymore.'" She stopped and turned to Axel. "Harboring hate in your heart stop you from growing stronger."

"Hate has given me, and many others, strength and motivation to get strong," Axel said.

"Hate, like anything else, can give strength," Erza said. "But hate, for all the power it can offer, does more to weaken than to strengthen."

"How so?" Axel asked. Erza smiled.

"Do you think Elfman is weak?" she asked, seeming to change pace. Axel shook his head. "Why not?"

"The fact that he was able to not only stand up after the thrashing Evergreen gave him, but also manage to carry her to the guild is evidence enough," he said.

"Elfman, for all his absurd fascination with manhood, understands that his love for his sister and guild are more important than anything," Erza said. "You remember what he said, right?"

"Elfman said that it takes a man to do the right thing," Axel answered.

"The right thing was to take Evergreen to the infirmary. It might save her life," Erza said.

"If you're trying to say I should have done that," Axel began before deciding to say something else. "I respect that in him. I respect the nobility. In a way, I wish I could be like that."

"Why can't you?" Erza asked.

"So you people can stay noble," Axel responded. "Someone has to get their hands dirty. Someone has to be willing to take the fall in order to get things done. Someone has to sacrifice their soul, so everyone else can keep theirs," Axel said, getting progressively quieter as he spoke. "And before you say anything else about what I did to Evergreen," here Axel chuckled, "know that my hate for her stemmed from my love for you."

The siblings made the final corner in silence before seeing Cardia Cathedral before them, sparks of electricity shooting out the door and crashes booming across the area. They quickly covered the rest of the ground, Natsu running in behind them. "Ha! Found Laxus before Gajeel did!" he said with a fist pump. "Who's that guy?"

"Mystogan? You are here," Erza said. Axel's eyes narrowed.

Mystogan turned to look at the trio, and Laxus took advantage of the moment. "You're wide open!" the lightning mage yelled as a bolt struck Mystogan's face.

"You!" Natsu growled, fire gathering on his fists. Axel moved the Blitz Pike in front of Natsu's chest, telling him to stop. He saw Erza's shock as well.

"Jellal?" she asked.

"Oh? A familiar face?" Laxus asked with a laugh, apparently entertained by this.

"It isn't Jellal," Axel said, continuing to hold Natsu back as he explained. "I thought so when I met him a few years back, and tried to kill him myself. It took you a long time to talk your way out of that one. But you did, eh, Mystogan? So, try your hand at explaining why you didn't tell me about my sister here being in Fairy Tail with you."

"I had no idea Erza was your sister," Mystogan explained. "You two don't look much alike. I am sorry, Erza. I never wanted you to see this face. I knew it would bring you pain. As Axel said, I am not Jellal, though I know of him." Mist began to swirl around Mystogan as he turned to walk away.

"I will be contacting you soon," Axel said. Mystogan kept walking, raising a hand in acknowledgement.

"So what? Is there a secret club for mysterious and reclusive mages?" Laxus joked, highly amused with the scene. "Anyway, I'm sick of this crap. You only have a few minutes left until the Thunder Palace activates. What is the old man waiting for?" Laxus mumbled the last bit.

"He can't give in to your blackmail because he had a heart attack," Axel growled. "Immediately after you announced you were using the Thunder Palace, he clutched his chest and fell to the ground in pain." Laxus's face remained hard, but Axel noticed the look in his eyes soften for a brief moment. _There is _some _humanity left yet._

"Not my problem," Laxus said. "And like I said, I'm sick of this crap." A blast of lightning shot from his hand straight toward Erza, the greatest threat in Laxus' eyes.

Axel caught the blast on his spear, a growl in his throat and the promise of death on his face. _Maybe not that much humanity._

"Hey, Asshole! I'll be taking you on!" Natsu yelled.

"Natsu? When did you get here?" Laxus mocked. Erza cast a glance at Natsu and Axel.

"Will you really use the Thunder Palace?" the Knight asked.

"Of course," Laxus laughed, "I'll do whatever it takes to take my rightful place as master." Erza clenched her fists, then turned to Axel and Natsu.

"We have to take him down," she said. "We don't have much time to waste." Both of the young men nodded their heads and turned to face Laxus again.

"I get Natsu and Erza being so adamant about this," Laxus said, "but you, I don't get. Why do you care?" he asked Axel.

"It matters to Erza, so it matters to me," Axel said. "Plus, I placed my loyalty with Fairy Tail, and I have never stood by when meaningless evils are committed on the undeserving."

"Well what do ya know!" Laxus cried with his arms raised mockingly. "A saint in Fairy Tail! Such a surprise!"

"I'm no saint," Axel said, requipping into a sleek, dark armor. "_I'm a hunter_."

* * *

**AN: **Well, there's chapter two! Thanks for reading! I would love to hear from you, so please tell me your thoughts. What would you like to see in the coming chapters? What did you think was cool? What pairings would you like to see? (Some are decided... Just wait, I promise that stuff will come.) Does something in this chapter bother you? Everything you have to say helps me get better as an author, which means a better story for you! Thanks again!


	3. Fantasia

**The Knight and the Hunter**

* * *

**Summary: **Axel, Erza's younger brother, fell out of their boat as they escaped Jellal and the Tower of Heaven as children. Erza thought he was dead. They reunite, but Axel isn't the kind-hearted little boy he once was...

* * *

**Fantasia**

* * *

Natsu's fist's caught fire an instant before he screamed something nobody could make out and launched himself toward Laxus, who effortlessly caught Natsu's arm and threw him to the side.

"REQUIP!" Axel and Erza both shouted as they ran toward Laxus.

"Lightning Empress Armor!" Erza shouted as she glowed bright white for a moment before wearing an ornate white armor with yellow accents.

"Shadow King Robes!" Axel yelled, his hunting clothes vanishing to be replaced by pitch black short robes covered by a leather chestpiece.

The siblings attacked in sync, Erza thrusting her newly requipped spear toward Laxus' chest while Axel swept at his legs with the Blitz Pike.

But Laxus was, unsurprisingly, lightning fast. He hopped over Axel's blow and caught Erza's spear with a single hand. A wicked grin covered Laxus' face as he pumped magical electricity down Erza's weapon. Laxus laughed as he continued to filter lightning through Erza's own weapon and block Axel's furious blows with his other hand.

But when Natsu jumped behind him and punched him in the back of the head, screaming, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Laxus stopped laughing. After all, it is hard to laugh when your face is smashed into the floor.

Laxus leapt to his feet, lightning shooting off him in all directions. Axel realized all Natsu accomplished with that, beyond freeing Erza from her electric stasis, was piss off Laxus Dreyar.

But Natsu would not let Laxus breathe. The Fire Dragon Slayer was enraged. That was plain to see. "Fire Dragon's Talon!" Natsu shouted as he kicked at Laxus, who caught the blow nearly effortlessly.

Laxus immediately threw Natsu toward the charging Erza, sending them both to the floor of the cathedral. The lightning wizard charged up his magic and shot a bolt of lightning at the tangled pair.

Fortunately, Axel got there first with the Blitz Pike.

"That thing is really starting to piss me off!" Laxus growled.

"What's wrong, Laxus?" Axel taunted with a smug look on his face as Natsu and Erza picked themselves off the ground. "Are you not used to your magic being ineffective? Powerless?"

Several veins became visible as Laxus' face turned red. "I'll show you powerless, worm!" Laxus screamed, throwing lightning bolt after lightning bolt at Axel.

Natsu and Erza could only watch in awe as Axel caught each and every building-crushing bolt on the Blitz Pike, Laxus only becoming more enraged. Axel was pleased to see the sweat dripping off Laxus' brow from the effort of so much magic.

"It's no use, Laxus," Axel taunted again, a nearly sadistic grin decorating his face. "This pike has taken greater blows from greater foes. Your magic is just too weak." Axel's voice dropped to just above a whisper, but Laxus still heard, as Axel intended.

"WEAK?!" Laxus roared, lightning gathering on his massive arms. "RAGING BOLT!"

"MOVE, AXEL!" Erza screamed, knowing the devastating power of this spell.

But Axel ignored his sister, and caught the powerful lightning spell on his spear. He realized his mistake a moment too late. The Blitz Pike, which Axel previously thought immune to all lightning, exploded from the incredible torrent of electric power coursing through it, sending the hunter flying through the air and slamming him against the stone wall of the cathedral.

He knew fear for the first time in a long time as he barely managed to roll away from Laxus' follow up attacks. "Fool! Weakling!" Laxus cried, a maniacal look in his eyes as he aimed fatal blow after fatal blow at Axel, who now only managed to dull the blows by rolling off them. "Learn your place!"

Natsu and Erza did not waste a second. The entire time they tried to force the enraged Laxus away from Axel before he killed him, but Laxus dodged every attack they made while continuing his assault on the hunter.

Finally, Natsu landed a blow on Laxus, giving Axel enough room to breathe. The hunter quickly tapped into his armor's incredible speed, seemingly jumping in and out of the nearby shadows. "Requip! Apollon Recurve!" Axel yelled, grabbing the golden bow in his shaking hands.

Axel launched a storm of arrows at Laxus, always dancing out of range when the lightning wizard turned to him, and delivering brutal blows to every joint and weak point he could when Natsu and Erza had his attention.

For their part, Natsu and Erza were managing to deliver several savage strikes to the nearly invincible Laxus as some connecting arrows slowed him down slightly. The combination of all three's attacks began to slow the lightning wizard down, but only by little. Every successful attack Laxus made still had devastating effect, sending whoever was dealt the blow flying.

The rune board flashed brightly, announcing that the Thunder Palace spell had only three minutes until activation.

Erza grit her teeth as she lunged at Laxus. "Stop this madness, Laxus!" she demanded.

"I don't take orders from you, or anyone! I won't stop! Not until I am the master of Fairy Tail!" Laxus yelled.

"Idiot!" Axel yelled. "Even if Makarov wanted to give into your blackmail, he couldn't!"

"If you think I actually believe for a half second that gramps is actually that sick, you're a bigger idiot than I thought," Laxus growled.

"We have to stop the spell," Erza breathed.

Natsu pounded his fist, a look of fierce determination on his face. "You two go and deal with that. I'll take care of Laxus," he said with resolve. There was not even a shred of doubt on the Dragon Slayer's face.

"Are you insane?!" Axel demanded as he continued his barrage of arrows. "The three of us are barely beginning to wear this monster down! One person can't handle him!"

Before Natsu could reply, Erza spoke up: "Axel, if anyone can do this, it's Natsu." Axel heard the implicit trust in Erza's voice as she spoke. "I believe in him."

"Whether you believe in him or not is worth nothing," Axel said, his eyes narrowing slightly at the Fire Dragon Slayer, "but right now the Thunder Palace has to be stopped." The hunter immediately disengaged from Laxus, firing a smoke bomb arrow at the mage's feet.

"Erza, don't die," Natsu said as the siblings left Cardia Cathedral. "You either, Alex."

"We won't die," Erza said. "You stay alive too."

"My name is Axel," Axel grumbled.

"Whatever," Natsu said, waving Axel off as he faced Laxus down.

* * *

Erza and Axel rounded the corner, and Axel took a long look at the Thunder Palace around the town.

"That is a lot more lacrima than I thought there were," Axel commented. Erza noticed her brother was favoring his right leg slightly as he walked. Axel was injured. Not all that surprising really.

"There are three hundred of them," Erza said. "Requip! Heaven's Wheel Armor!"

"This is gonna suck," Axel grunted as he straightened himself. "Requip! Shredder Bow!" a gray steel bow with the limbs split down the middle appeared in his hand. When Axel saw his sister's look, he said, "This bow takes the number of arrows I fire and magically produces ten times that amount. I can guide the arrows in flight. It's what I used against you when I trapped you." Axel strung fifteen arrows on the large bow.

Erza stared at her brother for an instant before shaking her head. "Swords! Lend me your strength!" she cried as she summoned one hundred and fifty of her swords to fill the air around her one by one, taking her brother's arrow count and realizing he meant to split the thunder lacrima evenly between the two of them.

"I might not be able to handle this much magic after fighting that monster," Axel said as he pulled back his bowstring carefully. "This bow is tough on me when I'm rested at times."

"Fairy Tail mages don't quit," came Erza's iron-willed response.

Axel smiled slightly as he glanced at his sister. When Erza launched her blades into the sky, Axel released his volley. The arrows quickly replicated in midair and Axel guided each arrow to a lacrima, despite the incredible magical drain he felt just from firing the arrows.

Within the same second, all of Erza's swords and Axel's arrows struck the thunder lacrima hanging in the sky. Axel fell to his knees from the strain, and it was all Erza could do to remain on her feet.

Then the Organic Link Magic kicked in.

The siblings screamed as the lightning intended to destroy an entire town coursed through their veins, nearly killing them in their magically drained, vulnerable state.

Once she finally recovered her breath, Erza breathed out, "That was reckless."

Axel barked out a bitter laugh. "Reckless? That was outright idiotic, my dear sister," he groaned out. "Don't ask me to do that ever again," he breathed before losing consciousness.

Erza turned her head to look at her brother, a soft smile on her face. "His face still looks peaceful when he sleeps. Maybe there is something left of my innocent little brother," she whisper-wished.

Roaring across the town, several bolts of lightning arced from the cathedral before a bright light engulfed the entire town. Erza's eyes widened when she realized what the light was: Fairy Law, Master Makarov's legendary spell. Somehow Laxus had learned it.

Slowly closing her eyes, Erza let fall a few tears as the light burned through her eyelids. Then she felt the same warmth she did when the master used the spell on Master Jose Porla, and Erza realized that even though Laxus cast the spell with the intent to erase his enemies, she and Axel were still breathing.

A soft smile spread across Erza's face. For all his actions, Laxus' heart betrayed his true feelings about Fairy Tail. He still cared for them. He did not see them as his enemies. Not really. Laxus was still a Fairy Tail Mage at heart.

The quiet of the late day only lasted a few more moments before crashing thunder, clashing metal, and roaring fire shattered the silence. Erza craned her neck toward the cathedral, trying to catch a glimpse. There was nothing to be seen apart from the occasional burst of magic through the roof for several moments.

Then she saw Natsu and Laxus duking it out on the roof of the building. The fight was horribly one-sided: Laxus was brutalizing Natsu. But, true to form, Natsu kept getting back up.

Laxus cast a spell, and Erza could feel the surge of magic power and a slight tingle of electricity from where she lay. Natsu could not hope to dodge, he could hardly manage standing.

Before the powerful spell could connect, however, Gajeel used himself as a lightning rod to protect Natsu, to Erza's shock and pleasant surprise.

Apparently, this motivated and energized Natsu.

Fire spell followed fire spell as the Fire Dragon Slayer unleashed a piece of the power Erza witnessed at the Tower of Heaven, sending Laxus reeling and rendering him incapable of retaliation. Erza recognized one of Natsu's most powerful spells, Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade, as the Dragon Slayer cast it, finishing off the fearsome Laxus Dreyar.

Turning her head from the scene, Erza sighed and smiled softly after watching her beloved nakama prove victorious once again in a fight she knew she could never have won. She turned her gaze upon her brother, wondering if and silently hoping that he could be the little boy from before. She knew it was impossible. Even if Axel had not fallen from the boat, he would not have been a carefree little boy forever.

Gray and Lucy ran toward the downed Erza and Axel, breathing that they finally found them. Gray silently noted the numerous electric burn marks on both of the siblings and Axel's unconscious state.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, kneeling down near the injured pair.

"We were fighting against Laxus with Natsu. He roughed us up pretty bad, but he got Axel worse than he got me. Axel underestimated Laxus and paid for it. There's no telling how much damage Laxus managed through the Blitz Pike," Erza explained as Gray helped her sit up.

"Wait, Laxus hurt Axel through the Blitz Pike?" Lucy asked. "I thought Axel said he hunted a lightning elemental with that thing?"

"He did," Erza said, "but Laxus didn't just hurt him through the pike, he overloaded the pike and blew it up."

Lucy's eyes widened when she heard this. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Erza replied.

"Laxus is a monster, plain and simple," Gray said. "I can't believe the Dragon Slayers beat him."

Erza nodded her head. "Anyway, we fought Laxus for a while before leaving Natsu to fight him alone while we went to take out the Thunder Palace before it could activate. I think the magic fatigue alone could have knocked Axel out, but after the lightning struck he was only awake for a brief moment before he fell asleep," Erza said.

"Is Axel going to be alright?" Lucy asked.

"I think that he'll be okay," Erza sighed, looking at her brother for a second. "He used a lot of magic fighting Laxus, and there is no telling how much energy he lost when the Blitz Pike was destroyed."

"And then he helped take out the Thunder Palace," Gray muttered, impressed by Axel.

"He used this bow that magically replicates the arrows he fires from it. Even before the Organic Link Magic kicked in, Axel fell to his knees."

"We better get the both of you to the guild," Gray said as he and Lucy helped Erza up.

"I can walk now," Erza said.

Gray squatted down near Axel and slung him over his shoulder to carry to the guild, waking Axel up in the process.

The hunter groaned before saying, "Let me down."

The Ice-Make Wizard obliged, and Axel managed to stand for a moment before stumbling a bit. Lucy quickly ducked under his arm to offer him support.

"I can manage on my own, Lucy," Axel croaked out, in spite of his injuries.

"Forgive me, Elfman, but being macho is incredibly stupid," Lucy said. "Taking out the Thunder Palace and fighting Laxus is more than enough tough guy for one day, or even two or three weeks. And that isn't counting your fight with Evergreen."

Axel let Lucy help him.

* * *

As the four of them walked in the guild, they spied Laxus walking out sporting some fresh bandages.

"He doesn't look happy that he lost to Natsu and Gajeel," Lucy commented after Laxus was out of earshot.

Gray and Erza nodded their heads in agreement as Axel craned his neck to look at Laxus as he walked away. "We should check on Master Makarov," Erza said.

"It's not like we would be going out of our way," Axel said wryly. "We need patching up ourselves."

"I know that," Erza said, eyes narrowing dangerously. Gray shied away from what he considered Evil Erza, but Axel just met his sister's gaze.

"That look doesn't work on me," Axel said.

His sister's eyes only narrowed further, and even began to glow slightly red from her magic.

As they made their way toward the infirmary, Erza spotted Gajeel and Natsu hobbling out of it. Gajeel was having a harder time due to a cast on his right leg. Axel spied Erza's soft smile when her eyes fell on Natsu, and silently vowed to get revenge for her teasing earlier.

Then he remembered who he was leaning on and, despite every effort, turned slightly red, all the while hoping that his sister failed to notice or decided not to comment if she did.

Axel stayed quiet as he got patched up and Erza asked how Makarov was doing. Porlyusica insisted that the old man was doing better several times before Erza finally agreed to leave, but only because the medicine woman said Makarov needed rest, and she was disturbing it.

After quite a bit of effort on both his and Lucy's part, Axel managed to get his recently bandaged body sitting down at one of the tables in the great hall. Axel had difficulty paying attention to what everyone was saying, likely because the painkillers he was given were making him drowsy.

Eventually, Lucy realized something and cried out, "After all this I won't have the money to pay my rent this month." The blond woman whined a bit more.

That is, until Erza, with a devious smile, suggested that, "Maybe you could go on a job with Axel. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Said hunter quickly and painfully yanked his hood up to hide his mortification at his sister's brazen words.

Lucy immediately perked up, and turned to the hooded man across the table. "Would you really be okay with that? Are you going on a job soon?" she asked excitedly.

Clearing his throat, Axel hoarsely said, "I don't need to work right now. I've got money of my own. However, I'm heading to Crocus soon to meet with somebody and tell her some bad news. I suppose if you found a job near there I would be up for it." Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he doubted anyone could see it.

"Crocus? The capital city?" Lucy asked.

"Yea, Crocus," Axel confirmed, nodding his head. "Ever been?"

"No, I haven't," Lucy said.

"That's surprising," Gray said. "I would have figured your father would have had business there."

"He did, but he rarely took me with him," Lucy said. "Do you have a job in mind?" she asked, turning back to Axel.

"I haven't looked at the board yet," Axel aid with a shrug. "I've been too busy fighting." The hunter chuckled a bit. "You should see if you can find a mission in the area. I'd help, but I'm not all that mobile at the moment."

"That's fine," Lucy said before hopping from her seat. "Hey, I think this is the first job I've picked on my own," she mused as she walked off.

Erza opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Juvia appearing and snatching Gray away from the table, much to his chagrin and protest. Axel gaped at the bizarre display, looking to Erza for an explanation. His sister just shook her head.

"There's no telling with Juvia," she said. "When are you leaving?"

Axel shrugged slightly, and immediately regretted it as pain shot across his shoulders. "As soon as possible," he said. "I'll get over the magic fatigue quickly. That's the big thing."

"What about your injuries?" Erza asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I've fought with worse. Only a few bruises. My armor softened most of the really bad blows, and I know how to take a hit anyway," Axel brushed off. Erza reached across the table and poked Axel's chest, eliciting a slight hiss of pain.

"Really?"

"Yea, really," Axel said.

"Either way," Erza said, "you should stay to participate in the Fantasia parade."

"I'm not interested," Axel said.

"Why not?"

"Well, I'm not all that big on being seen by a lot of people, in case the hood wasn't enough of a hint," Axel grumbled.

"That isn't a good enough reason," Erza said, crossing her arms and smiling. If that was the first thing that came to mind, her little brother had almost no legitimate excuse to refuse to take part.

"Uh, I don't have a float to ride on," Axel added.

"I'll happily share my own," Erza said, her smirk widening. "People would eat up having my little brother on the float with me."

For a moment, Axel struggled to come up with another excuse before finally throwing out in desperation, "I don't have anything to wear."

Erza blinked at her brother several times before bursting into gut-busting laughter, despite the intense pain it caused. "That is the single most desperate and girly excuse you could have made!"

Axel bowed his head, further obscuring his embarrassed face under his hood. "It's true," he muttered. "I'm a hunter, and my armors reflect that. They're understated and simple, by and large. It's hard to sneak around in an armor that glistens." Of course, Axel did have a few specialty armors that broke this trend, but Erza did not know that.

Erza was about to respond when Lucy walked back up, proudly presenting a job flyer to Axel. Leaning forward slightly, Axel read the flyer. "Track down the source of a strange fog and bizarre, apparently mutated animals in Juniper Town. Reward is two hundred thousand Jewel." Axel glanced up at Lucy.

"Juniper is a few train stops before Crocus," Lucy said. "Is that close enough?"

"Yea, that should be fine," Axel said. "Why this job?"

"Well, I love a good mystery, and it pays enough to cover my rent after being split two ways," Lucy said.

"Good enough for me," Axel said, already wondering what could be going on in Juniper. Something about this seemed intriguing, in the way that engaged his hunting senses.

"We can leave after the parade," Lucy said. "Mira said that would be fine. Most of Fiore doesn't expect the jobs taken on by Fairy Tail mages to be completed until after Fantasia is over."

Erza saw her moment to strike. "Axel here is trying to get out of participating in Fantasia," she said, a wicked smirk on her face. Axel turned his head and glared at his sister. "_That's right, you're trapped now,"_ Erza thought.

"WHAT?!" Lucy screamed, grabbing everyone's attention for a moment. Blushing, Lucy quickly sat down. "Fantasia is famous! Everyone tries to see it at least once! You _have _to do it with everyone! It's a part of being in Fairy Tail!"

"But I've never done anything like be in a parade before," Axel defended, realizing how trapped he was.

"So? Neither have I, and that doesn't matter!" Lucy said insistently. "I'm excited to get to be a part of it. You have to do it!"

Erza laughed a bit to herself as she saw Axel waver, break, and then sigh.

"Fine," he relented. "I'll be a part of the damn parade."

"Great," Erza said with a triumphant smirk on her face. "Meet me here in the morning so we can figure out what you will do." Erza then got up and walked out of the guild, headed home for the day.

"What have I done?" Axel asks himself.

"Erza is weird," Lucy says. "She always shows out at Fantasia, from what I hear, but when we did this acting job, she had horrible stage fright." Axel just shrugged.

"Do you have any advice on this thing?" Axel asked her.

Lucy thought for a moment before saying, "You probably need to show off your magic some."

"Huh?"

"Um," Lucy hummed for a second. "Act like you are trying to intimidate someone so you don't have to fight them, but without looking scary."

"Did you hear yourself just now?" Axel asked with a chuckle. "That is a complete contradiction. How can someone intimidate someone without being scary?

"Hey! I couldn't think of another way to phrase it," Lucy whined. Axel chuckled a bit more.

"It's fine," he said. "I think I understand, kind of." He felt a bit more comfortable talking with Lucy now, though whether that was a result of his sister leaving or him just getting used to being around the beautiful blond mage.

For several moments, neither of them said anything. Then a devilish smirk appeared on Lucy's face before she said, "So, tell me about this girl you're meeting in Crocus. Is she cute?"

Axel shrugged before Lucy's words really sank in and he understood what she said. "Uh, uh," he stuttered. "I mean, I guess she's kind of cute, but Kagura is just an old friend from my village. Honestly, I'm not even sure she likes guys."

"Oh," Lucy said. She made some sort of face, but Axel had no idea of what to make of it. Was she relieved, or disappointed, or what? "Then I guess Erza would probably know this Kagura girl too, huh?"

"Only vaguely," Axel said. "Erza managed to save Kagura from being abducted by the cultists."

"So then what is this bad news you are telling her?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side slightly and propping her head on her hand.

"Well, from what Erza told me, you should already know," Axel said, confusing Lucy. After allowing himself a sigh, Axel explained. "You remember Simon from the Tower of Heaven? He is Kagura's older brother, and she has been looking for him, hoping he managed to get away from that place. It took me forever to convince her not to go there herself."

"Oh," Lucy said. "I get it. Wait, how did you convince Kagura not to go?"

Axel frowned slightly. "I have a few nasty scars from my time there. Fortunately, most of my scars are physical. Some people got mental scars that they will probably never shake."

"Oh," Lucy said. "I'm sorry for asking."

"It's not a problem," Axel said, brushing it off. "Everyone says girls like scars anyway."

"It depends on the scar," Lucy mused to herself. Axel smirked as her eyes went vacant for a moment. He waved his hand in front of her face for a moment. "Huh? Oh, sorry."

"It's fine," Axel said. "Stop apologizing. Besides, I can't get rid of the scars, so there's no sense moping over them."

"I guess," Lucy said. She seemed to be considering something for a moment, but could not make up her mind.

"If you're thinking of asking something, ask," Axel said.

"Alright," Lucy said. "Well, uh... Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"What everyone said you did to Evergreen," Lucy clarified. "I haven't seen her yet."

Axel's jaw tightened slightly before he sighed. "What is everybody saying I did?" he asked, wanting to make sure they weren't being too dramatic. Not that there was much to elaborate on.

"They say that you tortured Evergreen within an inch of her life to get her to release us," Lucy said quietly.

Axel rubbed his forehead, but decided there was no point in lying. He threw his hood off his head, just to make sure Lucy could see the truth in his eyes. "They're telling the truth," he said simply.

Lucy swallowed unconsciously before asking, "Why did you go that far? I'm sure you could have done less to her to get the same result."

"Evergreen is lucky," Axel muttered. "Normally, I'll go farther for smaller offenses. Much farther." His words were quiet, soft-spoken, but they hit Lucy like a ton of brick when she realized the implication: he had killed before. The blond mage unwittingly shied away a bit.

"Does that mean you've killed people before?" Lucy whispered for confirmation.

Axel just looked her dead in the eyes. His gaze was made of steel, daring her to pass judgement on him. Lucy visibly gulped at the intense look in his pale golden eyes.

Suddenly, Axel forced himself to stand up. "I'm sorry if I frightened you," he said. "I'll see you later." The hunter began to limp toward the guild doors without stumbling, though not without effort.

"I'm sorry," Lucy quickly said. "I just couldn't wrap my head around it is all."

"I'll still go on the job with you," Axel grumbled, thinking Lucy was trying to salvage her chance of making her rent. As he walked away, he ground his teeth slightly, thinking he was definitely an idiot. He should not have been so blunt.

Lucy stayed still, watching him walk out the guild's doors. Then she shook her head and ran out after him.

Axel had made it out of the gates by the time Lucy caught up to him. Axel glanced at her as he plodded forward. "Why are you following me?" he asked.

"I'm really sorry," Lucy said. "I didn't want to upset you at all. I know that it has to be hard to deal with having blood staining your hands."

Axel did not respond immediately, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, but refusing help from Lucy, claiming he was better now and this would help him recover. Lucy had her doubts, but she kept quiet.

"The first few blood stains bother you a lot," Axel finally said. "But once the only thing on your hands is red, another drop or two does nothing."

Lucy firmly shook her head. "Every drop weighs on the soul. Don't kid yourself," she said.

After glancing at Lucy, Axel corrected her, saying, "No, it tears at the soul until there is nothing left to tear apart."

Lucy immediately understood what Axel was implying, and realizes how badly he is hurting, even if he did not know himself. "Listen, however many people you've killed–"

"Forty-three," Axel cut her off.

Lucy blinked. "What?"

"Forty-three," Axel repeated. "I've ended forty-three people."

Lucy silently mouthed the number in shock. Then she looked up and realized that the path to Axel's hotel led them to the front of her home. "Um, this is my place," Lucy said, gesturing at her apartment. "Would you like to come in?" she asked, surprising Axel. For a moment, he was tempted to accept the invitation, but then he thought she was merely being polite and declined.

The blond woman frowned slightly at the slightly taller man before offering him a genuine smile. On a whim, or perhaps an instinct, she stepped forward and gave Axel a hug, which he was too shocked to return immediately.

"Despite what you think," Lucy said as Axel hesitantly returned the hug, "you _do _still have a soul. You love for your sister is proof of that; someone without a soul cannot truly love another person."

Lucy then released him and stepped back from the blue-haired man, studying his frozen face. Axel quickly pulled his hood back up and, after clearing his throat, said, "Thank you, Lucy. Have a good night,."

"Good night, Axel," Lucy said with a gentle smile, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Axel waved as he walked away, headed for his hotel room. His thoughts were clouded due to Lucy's words just then and Erza's words before they confronted Laxus earlier in the day. Erza said that love offered strength the likes of which nothing else could compare. That bugged him slightly, but what Lucy said about his soul touched him deeply.

Before he knew it, Axel was falling into the bed in his hotel room. He still could not wrap his head around what the two women had said. It was like an itch he could not scratch. Axel had problems believing what they said, but a part of him knew all along that this was the case. That voice had just been drowned out before. Now it was gaining traction, and a few silent tears leaked from Axel's eyes as he entertained the possibility.

Sleep eluded him for hours, but once he found it, he slept through the night. Axel had not slept through the night in years, and he hardly believed he really did it when he woke.

Axel requipped into one of his simple hunting outfits and left the hotel, mumbling good morning to the innkeeper on his way out. He stared at his shoes for the first few steps in the morning light, but eventually turned his gaze forward, looking at the path ahead of him.

As he passed by Lucy's house, he spied her looking out her window. He smiled when she waved at him, and promptly returned the wave before continuing on to the guild.

By the time he was close to the gates, Axel saw everyone bustling about, making final preparations and being generally excited. Erza grabbed his attention and gestured for him to come over to the float she was sitting on. Axel pulled himself up, grunting through his sore muscles and bruises.

"I guess this one is yours?" he asked.

His sister shook her head. "No, this float is _our _float," Erza corrected.

"Excellent," Axel deadpanned. "You know I still have no idea what I should be doing, right?"

"You really don't have to do all that much," Erza said, rolling her eyes. "All I'm really doing is using my telekinesis to make my swords dance. Of course, that may change depending on what you end up doing."

"Do you have any ideas?" Axel asked.

"Axel," Erza said with a chuckle, "it isn't complicated. Just get up there, show off some of your magic, and smile. I know the third part might seem unreasonable, but it's not optional."

"Oh, shut up," Axel said. "I can smile. I just don't do it all that often."

"You should probably wear one of your flashier armors, though," Erza mused before hopping off the float and gesturing for Axel to follow her inside the guild.

"Which of your armors are you going to be wearing?" Axel asked.

"I will wear my Heaven's Wheel Armor for most, if not all, of the parade. It makes telekinesis with my swords a bit easier," Erza said.

"And its impressive, to say the least," Axel grunted.

"Show me some armors that you think might work," Erza ordered. Axel rolled his eyes at her insistence, but obliged.

"Requip! Scout Armor!" he said. After the flash of light settled down, he was wearing the armor he wore when he was dealing with Evergreen.

"Is that blood?" Erza asked.

"Probably," Axel said with a shrug. Erza glared at him.

"Are you being serious? This is an armor you might wear?" she asked.

"Believe it or not, this is one of my more showy armors," Axel drawled. Erza arched an eyebrow.

"Well, it might work, if nothing else will do," Erza grumbled. "Show me another one."

"Fine," Axel grunted. "Requip! Raptor Armor!" A sleek, metallic armor with a helmet resembling a hawk or eagle replaced the Scout Armor. The armor seemed fairly streamlined and had stylized feathers decorating parts of it.

"That is a huge improvement," Erza immediately commented. "What's this for anyway?"

"Hunting gryphons and wyverns. I can fly for a little bit with this, and it increases my speed enough to be able to keep pace with them if I have to, but only for a little bit," Axel explained.

"I see," Erza said. "I like that one. When did you hunt gryphons or wyverns?"

"Every now and then I get a job to deal with a gryphon that's causing problems," Axel said. "The only Wyvern I hunted was a smaller beast that got forced from his mountain home by a much bigger beast. He was causing a town some problems. Damien said he wouldn't help me unless I was about to die. That was the first time he sent me to do something on my own, crazy bastard."

"He sounds fun," Erza said.

"Damien was a slightly less cruel slave-driver than the people in the tower," Axel joked. "But he ate the same horrible food I had to eat, until I learned to cook, and he taught me how to use my magic, so I've got no complaints."

"I'm sorry that he's gone," Erza said before getting back on track. "Anyway, I like that Raptor Armor, but let's see one more."

"Sure," Axel grumbled, "wear out the invalid."

"You are nowhere close to being an invalid," Erza argued. "I would have given that to you yesterday, but not now."

"Whatever, big sister," Axel said sarcastically. "Requip! Olympic Armor!" The Raptor armor disappeared and was replaced by an armor with ancient designs that consisted of a golden breastplate over a white tunic. There were no pauldrons, only bracers, guarding his arms, and his legs were covered by armored boots and a thick studded fauld. A graven image of the sun sat in the middle of the breastplate.

"Wow," Erza said. "I thought you said you had no flashy armor?"

"Yea," Axel said, rubbing the back of his head, "I lied."

"What does that armor have to do with hunting?" Erza questioned as she tapped the chestpiece.

"Absolutely nothing," Axel answered. Erza gave him a look that told him to explain. "This is an armor Damien gave to me, along with this: Requip! Apollon Recurve!" The golden bow Axel used against Evergreen and Laxus appeared in his right hand. "The bow is powerful in its own right, but when combined with the armor, well... Damien told me it was classified as War Armor. He never explained where he got it, he just said it was old. It's one of the few armors he gave me. I found or made the rest."

"You made some of your armors?" Erza asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yea, a couple of bows too, though none of them are exceptional. I'm not the best enchanter. I had to learn that on my own," Axel said.

"Why?"

"Why make my own stuff?" Axel asked. Erza nodded. "When you are in the middle of nowhere with little or no money, you learn to do things on your own."

"Fair enough," Erza said. "I would say you could use either the Raptor Armor or the Olympic Armor, or both, if you want to requip during the parade. Some variety could be good."

"Alright, so what do I do on the float?" Axel asked.

"You're an excellent shot with the bow," Erza said with a shrug. "Do some skill shots or something. Of course, we may decide to do something spontaneous later."

Axel went around with Erza to help get several things in order before they settled down to rest before the show would start.

Suddenly, all conversation in the guild stopped as the door opened. Axel turned to see Laxus walking in, and resisted the urge to growl. The lightning wizard announced that he wanted to speak with his grandfather, and several people objected. But his sister stood up and told everyone to let Laxus through. Before Laxus could keep going, Natsu jumped in front of him and said something that was muted by the bandages on his face. Axel was not paying attention though.

He got up and began taking a different route to the infirmary to avoid drawing attention. Erza grabbed his shoulder. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm not going to stop him from speaking with the master," Axel promised. "But I don't trust him either."

"You think he might hurt his own grandfather?" Erza demanded.

"Would you have thought he would hold an entire town hostage?" Axel countered. Erza stayed quiet.

Axel made his way to the infirmary. Laxus was already inside speaking with his grandfather. Axel leaned against the wall next to the door and listened to make sure Laxus did not do something stupid. In truth, Axel did not care in the slightest that Laxus wanted the guild to be stronger, as he claimed. However, he was somewhat shocked when Makarov excommunicated his own grandson from the guild. Of course, Laxus certainly violated the rules, but Axel did not expect Makarov to be so hard on his own blood. Axel could not help but smile a bit when Laxus told Makarov to take care of himself.

When Laxus walked out, he immediately turned to stare at Axel. Axel met his gaze for several long seconds. "I don't trust you," Axel began, "but I do respect you."

"Why's that?" Laxus asked.

"It's hard to accept punishment so well," Axel said. "I underestimated you during our fight, and if Erza and Natsu weren't there, you would've killed me. Not a small feat."

"You want an apology?" Laxus asked.

"No," Axel said, shaking his head. "I would have done the same if I were in your place." They stared at each other for several more moments. Axel was looking in Laxus' eyes for something in particular.

"Be careful out there," Axel finally said, both to his and Laxus' surprise. "I'll keep my ear to the ground about you."

"Is that a warning?" Laxus growled.

"No," Axel insisted. "It's me trying to look out for a nakama."

"I'm not your nakama. Not anymore," Laxus said.

"I've done my share of crimes," Axel said, "and I think we are more similar than anyone else in the guild. We both have a long road to go before we get ourselves together. I realized it yesterday, as I'm sure you did." Laxus turned his head as he thought about that.

"If you're trying to change," Laxus said, "then Fairy Tail is the place to be. I would start by apologizing to Ever."

"I know," Axel said. "I'm letting the blood dry first."

"Don't let the wound fester," Laxus warned. "See ya."

"Take care of yourself," Axel said. "Keep your ear to the ground. This bunch will get into trouble again soon enough. I have a feeling they will need you."

Laxus nodded his head and walked away. Axel watched him for a moment before looking in on Makarov. He spotted the master's tears, and left him in peace.

* * *

Axel and Erza stood on their float with the lights of the Fantasia parade glistening all around them. The people in the crowd cheered as the Fairy Tail floats passed by. Axel used his arrow magic to set off small fireworks in the sky above them as Erza's swords glided through the air. The siblings engaged in mock battle once, with a roaring reception from the crowd.

Without a doubt, the hunter was glad Erza and Lucy convinced him to participate. Erza nudged him from his thoughts and thrust her hand into the air, her finger and thumb extended: Laxus' symbol. His sister had told him that it meant, "Even if I can't see you, I will always be looking out for you." Every other member of the guild proudly displayed Laxus' symbol, and Axel quickly joined them.

He was almost certain he spotted Laxus' hulking form walking away, and, unless he was mistaken, Laxus was crying.

* * *

The next morning, Erza was seeing Axel and Lucy off at the train station. The two ladies chatted for a bit as Axel went to get the tickets.

After Axel returned and gave Lucy her train ticket to Juniper, Erza grabbed his shoulder and pulled him aside.

"Mind yourself with Lucy," she warned, "but have fun."

"I am a perfect gentleman, thank you very much," Axel said. Erza gave him a look. "When I want to be," he added. Then he grinned maliciously.

"But you had best stop thinking about it and make a move on that fire-brained Dragon Slayer," Axel whispered, turning the tables on his sister. "That guy is too thick-headed to take a hint. You'll have to be blunt."

"Why do you think I like Natsu?" Erza asked. Her face was perfectly calm. She was not blushing or squirming at all. And the stone face is what proved to Axel that he was right. Erza was guarding herself very well.

"By their very nature, hunters are observant," Axel said with a smirk. "And you need to stop lying to yourself."

The conductor saved Axel from his sister's retribution. Axel and Lucy boarded the train quickly, bidding Erza goodbye.

As the train began to pull away from the station, Lucy asked Axel, "What did you do to get Erza so flustered?"

"Her guard must have fallen when I stopped looking," Axel mused before he chuckled. "I told her she needed to make her move on Natsu already."

Lucy's jaw dropped. "Are you sure about them?"

"Absolutely," Axel said.

Lucy let herself fall to the back of her seat, "I thought something was weird with those two, but I had no idea what it was."

Neither party spoke for a moment as the landscape rushed by, but Axel broke the silence to ask an important question. "Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you really think it's true?"

"What are you talking about? Erza and Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"No," Axel said, "what you said the other night about my soul."

Lucy straightened up in her seat and nodded. "I meant and believed every word of it," she said, looking dead in Axel's eyes. "You still have a soul."

Axel thought on that for a second. "Okay, thanks," he said before pulling his hood over his head to shield his eyes so he could sleep through the long ride.

* * *

**AN: **Hey there, guys! Thanks for reading! Be sure to tell me what you thought about this chapter. I really want to hear from you.

I also wanted to tell you about the Twitter page I made for my fanfiction. I've been posting updates on my current progress with my stories so you can know exactly why I haven't posted my next chapter yet.. Check me out on Twitter TheZeroDragon. The link to the page is on my profile, if that is easier for you. Hit me up! I'd love to hear from you!

And Happy Easter! Enjoy your candy!


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